First Position

Each year the Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest international
student dance competition, awards a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships
to kids 8 to 19 from around the world. Documentary filmmaker Bess Kargman
follows six of these aspiring contestants to see if they can dance their way
to the “First Position.”

Robin:
Freshman director Kargman follows standard documentary procedure as she follows
her chosen contestants through the trials leading to the big event of the
Young America Grand Prix finals in New York City. The six that she selected
range from age 9 to 19 and are all incredibly talented young dancers. The
highlights of the film are, of course, the performances by the kids vying
for jobs and scholarships that the competition could bestow as over 5000
contestants try out at the semifinals held around the world.

The cookie cutter format Kargman uses in presenting her subjects may be unoriginal
but a safe way to introduce the filmmaker to her new audience. The stories
behind each one of the kids is interesting as we learn a great deal about
children who give up their childhood for their art. Their dedication to dance
and a will to risk injury to get to the next level of their chosen career
is palpable for each, no matter what their age. I give it a B.

Laura:
When Bess Kargman was trying to find a subject for her first film, she spied
a line of ballet dancers on a Manhattan street trying to get into the finals
of the Youth America Grand Prix competition. Kargman snuck in and when
she saw 12 year old Miko Fogarty dance, she found her film. Kargman
follows the pre-established pattern of documentaries following competitions
from crosswords to spelling bees, but the format works and she's found six
kids ranging in age from 9 to 16 who are truly involving.

Miko, herself, is the daughter of a British entrepreneur and Asian mom who
displays 'Tiger' tendencies. The family is focused on ballet, not only
for Miko but her younger brother Jay-Jay. Dad's entire office is moved
to bring them closer to trainer Viktor Kabaniaev. Miko is almost preternaturally
mature and a dancer you cannot take your eyes off of. Kabaniaev obviously
doesn't think much of Jay-Jay's talents and it's pretty clear to the audience
the kid is mostly goofing around, but mom is determined.

We're introduced to 11 year-old Aran Bell holding a BB gun in his bedroom
next to a shelf housing a baseball mitt. Kargman is less than subtle
here, but her subject is an intriguing one, demonstrating foot stretchers
and other ballet apparatus. Aran's trainer says that with Aran, he has
one of the one-in-a-millions. The Navy brat has recently moved to Italy,
where his family jumps through hoops to get him the right training.
Aran meets a girlfriend, Israeli Gaya, who goes into the dance because of
him and turns out to be one of the most mesmerizing dancers of the lot.
We never do really learn, though, what drew Aran into the ballet.

Like figure skating, pursuit of ballet for a child almost requires affluence.
We learn that tutus run up to $2,000 and that an $80 pair of shoes can be
trashed after one practice session. Elaine, the devoted Jewish mother
of adopted Sierra Leone orphan Michaela, spends hours dying the 'flesh toned'
inserts of her daughter's costumes a deep brown to match her skin color and
assures her daughter, who suffers from vitiligo (the pigment ailment Michael
Jackson claimed to have), that her spotting cannot be seen when she is on
stage. Michaela must also overcome the prejudices against Blacks in
the ballet world and is determined to be the most graceful dancer the judges
have seen. She's amazing to watch.

Rebecca is the 'pink princess,' a high school student from a wealthy suburb
whose friends call her Barbie because, she says, she is so weirdly flexible.
We might see other reasons, but there is no denying Rebecca's dedication to
the dance. She hopes to get one of the rare job openings with a company
from exposure during the competition.

16 year old Columbian Joan Sebastian Zamora moved to New York City by himself,
talks to his mother as much as money will allow and maintains a homey diet
of rice and beans courtesy of his roommate. He's got the moves of a
budding Mikhail Baryshnikov with great power and lines in his leaps.

The final competition itself, the doc's climax, is a bit confused in presentation.
We're offered a lovely montage of exquisite dancers identified only by their
county of origin, but see little of the failures (Rebecca has a horrible first
round). Kargman gives us glimpses of the judges observing the stage,
but only a few snippets of what two or three of them look for. What
we needed was an explanation of the results. There are multiple age
divisions which are awarded first, second and third prizes for both genders.
But there is one instance shown of a 'best overall.' There are scholarships
and jobs awarded to dancers who didn't place. How does this all work?

Still, "First Position" readily shows the hard work, heartache, pain and
passion which must be poured into the art of ballet and Kargman has done so
well choosing her subjects, at least one of their names is sure to become
a staple in the world of dance.